Daresbury Laboratory: Skilled Workers

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress has been made by the Science and Technology Facilities Council on implementing its policy to retain key skills at Daresbury Laboratory; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: STFC is aiming to retain important skills at the Daresbury Science and Innovation campus to resource the range of scientific research investments being planned for its future. I have most recently announced a £25 million investment by St. Modwen, a private sector developer that will be investing in a new (Vanguard House) business incubator facility at Daresbury to accommodate the rapidly growing (over 65) science and technology-based companies at the site, and new start-up science and technology businesses emerging in part from Daresbury's own leading scientific research programme. STFC has also tabled proposals for a new computer science centre at Daresbury (Hartree) and, in conjunction with its sister campus at Harwell, a new detector systems centre. These proposed centres would add to the existing Cockcroft Institute for accelerator research and the contribution that Daresbury is making to the preparatory phase of the New Light Source project. Taken together, I believe that the portfolio of facilities and projects at Daresbury will continue to sustain and develop its leading edge skills—which are highly valued by me and my Department. We are fully committed to the development of the Daresbury Science and Innovation campus as announced in Budget 2006.

Learning and Skills Council for England: Bureaucracy

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will make a statement on measures undertaken to date pursuant to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) pledge to reduce bureaucracy, as indicated on page nineteen of the current LSC Statement.

David Lammy: The Government are committed to reducing bureaucracy at all levels within further education to release providers' energy to focus on the needs of individuals and employers Through its deregulation agenda the Department and its intermediaries have already for example:
	reduced the number of intermediary bodies—Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate have been brought together in one inspector body, QIA and CEL are being brought together into a single body which will provide support to FE colleges and providers;
	reduced the administrative burden on colleges and independent providers—there is now light touch inspection for the best performers, a reduction in audit requirements is saving about £12 million in administrative time per year and recognition as an awarding body has recently been reduced from an average of 10 months to two-three months;
	introduced Impact Assessments of policies on front line delivery.
	The LSC is committed to reducing bureaucracy. As a result of the restructuring begun in 2005-06 the LSC expect to realise annual administration savings of £40 million by the end of 2008-09. The LSC are also committed to making administration efficiency savings during the current spending review period of 5 per cent. year on year.
	The LSC have made significant administration efficiency savings since it started operations in April 2001. Administration costs as a proportion of total expenditure has fallen from 4.6 per cent. in 2001-02 to an anticipated 1.6 per cent. in 2010-11.
	I have asked Mark Haysom, the LSC Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with further information on action being taken. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 2 June 2008:
	I am writing to you at the request of Bill Rammell in response to your recent question about the LSC pledge to reduce bureaucracy.
	In our Statement of Priorities published in November 2007 we highlighted eight areas where we are committed to simplifying the education and training system for the benefit of learners and employers.
	 Funding methodology.
	The LSC has implemented a reduction in the number of funding streams from six to three which will reduce administrative complexities for FE colleges and training providers and provide a clearer link between policy objectives and funding arrangements. It is expected that this will result in increased access and participation for 16-18 year-old learners and increased awareness of learning opportunities for adult learners.
	 Custome r interaction with FE system
	We are continuously looking for ways to improve this, for example we have just introduced a single Helpline, Assessment and Payment Body to improve the customer (learner) experience, by having a single point of reference, single portal, and single phone number for all interactions in relation to nationally administered financial support programmes for learners.
	 Single brokerage service
	A common brokerage framework has been introduced to ensure consistency across LSC regions, and to improve the service to employers we plan to go further by transferring the skills brokerage service to regional development agencies (RDAs) to enable its integration with the Business Link service.
	 New Standard
	This has now been launched as the Training Quality Standard. It recognises provider responsiveness to employer needs and provider excellence in a particular vocational area; two areas that employers have told us are critical for success. It will give employers a simple and straightforward way to compare training providers.
	 Framework for Excellence
	This is a balanced scoreboard of performance indicators that will enable learners and employers to make more informed choices and decisions, thus contributing to improved levels of satisfaction, increased retention rates, greater investment by individuals and employers, a sharper focus on economically valuable skills, and better and more relevant outcomes. A large scale pilot has just been completed and version 1 of the Framework is scheduled for roll-out to all FE colleges and work-based learning providers from August 2008.
	 Regional skills strategies
	The LSC no longer produces 47 local plans with a range of priorities and initiatives but rather brings these together into nine regional plans. These regional plans set out how the LSC's funding will be used to support national priorities as identified in our Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities, and regional priorities identified by regional development agencies.
	 Qualifications and Credit Framework
	With the QCA we are developing a simple and flexible structure that allows achievement to be built incrementally through the accumulation and transfer of credit. This will encourage and enable more learning that is appropriate to individuals' and employers' needs, For 2008-09 the LSC will be encouraging providers to adopt QCF provision where it is available.
	 Simplification of business processes
	The LSC continues to support the operation of the Bureaucracy Reduction Group (BRG) as the FE sector-led gatekeeper group for bureaucracy. The BRG has scrutinised the operation of a number of the LSC's major programmes and has helpfully identified areas where improvements could be made. For example, its recent scrutiny of Train to Gain resulted in a 10 point action plan to reduce bureaucracy in this programme. The report and recommendations of this scrutiny can be found on the BRG website
	(www.fe-brg.org.uk).
	In order to continue to tackle perceived bureaucracy and improve efficiency the LSC is developing a Simplification Plan. This will set out the actions the LSC is taking across a range of activities in addition to those highlighted above. It is expected that this will be published in July 2008 and I will send you a copy at that time.

Physics: Research

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment has been made of the future effect of the recent reductions in funding for physics research and astronomy projects in the UK on the UK's industry and economy; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Research Council expenditure on physics research is already in excess of £500 million per annum and is expected to increase over the CSR period.
	The Science budget is at its highest ever level and will enable the UK to maintain its leading position in research excellence, give rise to greater exploitation, as well as helping to build a stronger economy.

Students

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment he has made of  (a) overall developments in trans-European student mobility,  (b) the European Credit Transfer System,  (c) the Europass CV,  (d) the Europass Mobility,  (e) the Europass Diploma Supplement,  (f) the Europass Certificate Supplement and  (g) the Europass Language portfolio.

Bill Rammell: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The Government are keen to see an increase in the numbers of British students who take the opportunity to include a period of study abroad as part of their course. Within Europe, we have seen a welcome increase this year in the number of UK students taking part in the EU's Erasmus programme. Interim figures for 2007-08 show that well over 10,000 UK students have taken part (including some 2,800 work placement students). And the UK continues to be one of the top destinations for students from other European countries taking part in the programme.
	 (b) The Government believe there is scope for further adaptation of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to ensure that it effectively reflects greater importance of the assessment of learning outcomes. In response to these and other member states' concerns, the European Commission is reviewing the ECTS users' guide, which is expected to be completed later this year.
	Items  (c) to  (g) refer to the five documents that make up the Europass portfolio, a method introduced by the EU to record formal, informal and non-formal education. The operating agency for Europass in the UK, the National Europass Centre, has been promoting the portfolio in its entirety through organisations such as universities, FE colleges, vocational training organisations and UK accreditation bodies. There is increased interest in the use of Europass and it is expected that the introduction of the European Qualifications Framework will lead to greater take up of Europass documents in the future. The Government believe that Europass will assist in the recognition across Europe of formally or informally acquired skills and encourage mobility within the work force.

Students: Debts

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the average personal debt per student at the end of a degree course will have; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We expect students who entered higher education in the 2006-07 and 2007-8 academic years to graduate with an average level of debt of around £15,000.
	Student loans have very different features to most commercial loans, Graduates only repay once they are in work and only when their annual income reaches £15,000. Interest is charged at the rate of inflation, so students only pay back in real terms the amount they originally borrowed.
	In July we announced plans to introduce greater flexibility in the repayment of student loans by allowing borrowers to take repayment breaks of up to five years.
	A generous package of support is available to students, particularly those from low income households. In 2006-07 over half of eligible full-time students received a full or partial maintenance grant of up to £2,700, From 2008-09 onwards, the minimum threshold (of household income) for a full maintenance grant of up to £2,835 per year will be extended from £17,500 a year to £25,000 a year; with a partial grant available up to an income threshold of £60,005. This will mean that two thirds of all eligible students in England entering higher education in the academic year 2008-09 are expected to be entitled to a full or partial non-repayable grant—compared to just over half now.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to  (a) all staff and  (b) staff at senior civil service level in his Department in the 2007-08 financial year; and how many payments were made.

David Cairns: Staff in the Scotland Office are seconded from the Scottish Executive (SE) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who each have, bonus schemes, part of which relate to annual performance appraisal. The Scotland Office does not hold information on bonus payments under the annual performance appraisal systems. Under the Special Bonus Scheme of the SE and the Reward and Recognition Scheme of the MoJ, the Office may also directly authorise bonus payments for special effort, achievement and commitment; the following table shows the number and cost of such non-pensionable bonuses:
	
		
			   FY 2007-08 
			 Total number of bonuses 6 
			 Total cost of bonuses (£) 2,150 
		
	
	Members of the Senior Civil Service in the Scotland Office are also seconded from the Scottish Executive and the Ministry of Justice, their bonuses are assessed under a framework set by the Cabinet Office. The Office does not hold central information on such bonuses.

British National Party: Finance

Rob Marris: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps were taken against the British National Party for its late declaration of donations, fundraising abroad, the destruction of financial records and other irregularities referred to in the BBC Radio 4 programme File on Four in February 2008.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has taken enforcement action against the British National party on three occasions, fining the party a total of £1,750 for late submission of accounts and campaign expenditure reports. The individual civil penalties are listed as follows:
	31 August 2007: Fined £1,000 for late submission of party's 2006 Statement of Accounts;
	24 October 2007: Fined £250 for late submission of Accounting Unit 2006 Statement of Accounts; and
	21 December 2007: Fined £500 for late submission of Scottish Parliamentary campaign expenditure return
	In addition, on two occasions, the BNP has submitted quarterly returns of donations late. Its quarter 1 2003 return was late by one day and its quarter 3 2006 return was two weeks late. However, the Commission did not begin imposing fines on political parties for late submission of donation returns until quarter 1 2007.
	In relation to allegations of fundraising abroad, the Commission has made inquiries into this issue and was not satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to establish that the British National Party had accepted impermissible donations.
	Regarding the alleged destruction of financial records and other irregularities referred to in the BBC Radio 4 programme File on Four, the Electoral Commission reviewed a small number of shredded papers but was not able to establish that they provided evidence of a possible offence under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Faith Community Capacity Building Fund

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to review the granting of funds under the Faith Community Capacity Building Fund to the New Kadampa Tradition; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund covered the period August 2006 to March 2008. The fund has now finished and all monies have been distributed. The Government will not be reviewing the allocation of funding.

Gifted Children

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what private organisations are involved in the delivery of the gifted and talented programme; when the contract with each expires; what functions each is undertaking; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has contracts with the CfBT Education Trust to manage the YG&T Learner Academy and with Capita to provide training, guidance and support for leading teachers of gifted and talented education and educators. Together the DCSF, CfBT and Capita manage and deliver the national programme for gifted and talented education at national level. Information on the duration of contacts is commercial in confidence.

Schools: Offensive Weapons

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to encourage schools to use their powers to screen pupils randomly using metal detectors and conduct searches of pupils suspected of carrying a weapon.

Jim Knight: Schools are generally safe places. To help head teachers keep them safe, we gave schools in May 2007 a new power to search, without consent, any pupil whom they suspect, after random screening or otherwise, to be carrying a weapon. When issuing guidance on this new power, my Department also brought to schools' attention their existing power to screen pupils at random for weapons; using screening wands or arches. The guidance set out not only the benefits but also the acknowledged risks of using either power.
	It is for head teachers to determine if and when they use these powers, based on their knowledge of their own school. The Department does not collect data on the use of these powers, nor are schools obliged to tell us when they conduct searches or if they find weapons. When a pupil is suspected of carrying a weapon, some schools may rely on the direct and immediate intervention of the local police, and we would not wish to discourage them from taking that approach.

Children: Poverty

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were in absolute low-income households in each year since 1997; and what proportion of all children these figures represented in each such year, broken down by age.

Stephen Timms: The most common measure of low income used to capture poverty is individuals living in households with an income below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, adjusted to take account of family size and composition. Analysis of low income households can be found in the annual National Statistics publication Households Below Average Income (HBAI).
	The Government's preferred measure of absolute low income poverty is defined as being in a household with a household income of less than 60 per cent. of the 1998-99 median income held constant in real terms.
	Available information is shown in the following tables.
	Children have been split by age into four age bands. This is in line with the age breakdown presented in the HBAI publication.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children in absolute low income households (before housing costs) 
			  Coverage   Number of children (millions) 
			 GB 1997-98 3.5 
			
			 UK 1998-99 3.4 
			  1999-2000 3.1 
			  2000-01 2.5 
			  2001-02 2.0 
			  2002-03 1.8 
			  2003-04 1.8 
			  2004-05 1.7 
			  2005-06 1.6 
			  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of children in absolute low income households (after housing costs) 
			  Coverage   Number of children (millions) 
			 GB 1997-98 4.4 
			
			 UK 1998-99 4.4 
			  1999-2000 4.1 
			  2000-01 3.6 
			  2001-02 3.0 
			  2002-03 2.7 
			  2003-04 2.5 
			  2004-05 2.3 
			  2005-06 2.4 
			  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Children in absolute low income households as a proportion of all children and by specific age bands (before housing costs) 
			  Percentage 
			Age 
			  Coverage   0 to 4  5 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 18  All children 
			 GB 1997-98 8 10 7 2 28 
			  1998-99 8 10 7 2 26 
			  1999-2000 7 8 6 2 23 
			  2000-01 6 6 6 2 19 
			  2001-02 4 5 5 1 15 
			
			 UK 2002-03 4 4 4 2 14 
			  2003-04 4 4 5 1 14 
			  2004-05 3 4 4 1 13 
			  2005-06 3 4 4 1 13 
			  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Children in absolute low income households as a proportion of all children and by specific age bands (after housing costs) 
			  Percentage 
			Age 
			  Coverage   0 to 4  5 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 18  All children 
			 GB 1997-98 10 13 9 3 34 
			  1998-99 10 12 9 3 34 
			  1999-00 10 10 8 2 31 
			  2000-01 8 9 8 2 27 
			  2001-02 7 8 7 2 23 
			
			 UK 2002-03 6 7 6 2 21 
			  2003-04 6 6 6 2 20 
			  2004-05 5 5 6 2 18 
			  2005-06 6 6 5 2 19 
			  Notes:  1. The reference period for households below average income figures is single financial years.  2. A child is defined as anyone aged under 16 or an unmarried 16 to 18-year-old in full-time non-advanced education.  3. The information shown in Tables 1 and 2 is for the United Kingdom from 1998-99 to 2005-06, and for Great Britain for 1997-98. Data for Northern Ireland has been imputed for 1998-99 to 2001-02. The information shown in Tables 3 and 4 is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 to 2005-06, and for Great Britain for 1997-98 to 2001-02, as data for Northern Ireland has only been imputed for the headline statistics.  4. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  5. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors.  6. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. This means that after housing cost incomes will generally be lower than before housing cost.  7. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children, while proportions of children have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. Ages have been split into four bands because of sample sizes. Total numbers of children are in line with National Statistics mid-year estimates.  8. Small year-on-year movements should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06

Children: Poverty

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children living in relative poverty were in families with  (a) three or more children and  (b) four or more children in each year since 1997; and what proportion of (i) children in poverty and (ii) all children these figures represented in each such year.

Stephen Timms: The most common measure of low income used to capture poverty and the measure preferred by the Government is individuals living in households with an income below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income, adjusted to take account of family size and composition. Analysis of low income households can be found in the annual National Statistics publication, Households Below Average Income (HBAI).
	Available information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and proportion of children in relative low income households (Before Housing Costs) 
			Number of children in the family 
			Three or more  Four or more 
			  Coverage   Number in relative low income households (millions)  Percentage of all children in relative low income households  Percentage of all children  Number in relative low income households (millions)  Percentage of all children in relative low income house holds  Percentage of all children 
			 GB 1997-98 1.7 49 13 0.7 22 6 
			  1998-99 1.7 50 13 0.7 22 6 
			  1999-2000 1.5 47 12 0.7 22 6 
			  2000-01 1.4 46 11 0.6 21 5 
			  2001-02 1.3 45 10 0.6 19 4 
			 UK 2002-03 1.3 44 10 0.5 18 4 
			  2003-04 1.2 42 9 0.5 19 4 
			  2004-05 1.1 41 9 0.5 20 4 
			  2005-06 1.1 41 9 0.5 17 4 
			  Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and proportion of children in relative low income households (After Housing Costs) 
			Number of children in the family 
			Three or more  Four or more 
			  Coverage   Number in relative low income households (millions)  Percentage of all children in relative low income households  Percentage of all children  Number in relative low income households (millions)  Percentage of all children in relative low income households  Percentage of all children 
			 GB 1997-98 1.9 45 15 0.8 19 6 
			  1998-99 2.0 45 15 0.8 19 6 
			  1999-2000 1.9 45 15 0.8 20 7 
			  2000-01 1.7 44 14 0.7 18 5 
			  2001-02 1.7 43 13 0.7 18 5 
			 UK 2002-03 1.6 41 12 0.6 16 5 
			  2003-04 1.5 40 12 0.7 18 5 
			  2004-05 1.4 39 11 0.6 17 5 
			  2005-06 1.4 38 11 0.6 15 4 
			  Notes:  1. The reference period for HBAI figures is single financial years.  2. A child is defined as anyone aged under 16 or an unmarried 16 to 18-year-old in full-time non-advanced education.  3. A family is defined as a single adult or a couple living as married and any dependant children.  4. The information shown in Tables 1 and 2 is for the United Kingdom from 2002-03 to 2005-06, and for Great Britain for 1997-98 to 2001-02.  5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" (HBAI) series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or "equivalised") for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living.  6. The figures are based on OECD equalisation factors.  7. Figures have been presented on both a Before Housing Cost and After Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Cost they are. This means that After Housing Cost incomes will generally be lower than Before Housing Cost.  8. Numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 children, while proportions of children have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.  9. Small year-on-year movements should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response.   Source:  Households Below Average Income, 1997-98 to 2005-06.

Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of members of defined-benefit occupational pension schemes that  (a) have wound up and  (b) have been in the process of winding-up since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The following information was provided by the pensions regulator:
	 (a) Records show that 7659 defined benefit occupational schemes have a 'wound up' status with an effective date of 2 April 1997 or later.
	 (b) Records show that 1012 defined benefit schemes have a 'winding up' status with an effective date of 2 April 1997 or later.
	 Notes:
	1. A wound up scheme is one which has notified the pensions regulator that it has completed winding up procedures.
	2. A winding up scheme is one which has notified the pensions regulator that it has commenced winding up procedures.
	3. The data supplied by the pensions regulator is current as at 30 April 2008.
	4. Total membership includes active, deferred and pensioner members.

Pension Credit: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to increase the take-up of pension credit; how many pensioners in Stroud constituency receive pension credit; and what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in Stroud constituency who are entitled to receive pension credit.

Mike O'Brien: The Pension Service continue to undertake a wide range of activities to encourage people to claim the pension credit they are entitled to, including data matching to identify those who may be eligible but who are not receiving benefits, home visits for vulnerable customers and ever closer working with partner organisations, including local authorities.
	Last December I announced a package of measures to further simplify the benefit system which includes enabling claims to housing benefit and council tax benefit made over the phone with pension credit, to be forwarded directly to the local authority without the need for a signature.
	The Pension Service Local Service team in Gloucestershire works in a joint working partnership with Gloucestershire local authority, and works closely with a local Stroud partnership called Village Agents' which provides a holistic benefit take-up service across the Stroud area.
	There are currently 3,860 pensioner households—4,690 individuals—receiving pension credit in Stroud. However, estimates of eligibility are not available below the level of Great Britain. It is therefore not possible to say how many pensioners are eligible to receive Pension Credit in Stroud constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. The figures provided are early estimates. The preferred data source for figures supplied by DWP is the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). However, the figure provided is the latest available figure, which is taken from the QMS scan at 28 February 2008. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between WPLS and QMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.
	2. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 10.
	3. Households are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.

Departmental Equality

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1370W, on departmental equality, what percentage of top management positions in his Department are held by women, what percentage of senior civil service positions are held by black and minority ethnic employees; what percentage of positions are held by black and minority ethnic employees in his Department as a whole; what percentage of senior civil service positions are held by disabled employees; and what percentage of positions are held by disabled employees in his Department as a whole.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	The percentage of top management positions (all SCS grades) in the Department held by women is 41 per cent.
	The percentage of senior civil service positions held by black and minority ethnic staff is 7 per cent.
	The percentage of positions held by black and minority ethnic staff as a whole is 13 per cent.
	The percentage of senior civil servants positions held by disabled staff is 3 per cent.
	The percentage of positions held by disabled staff as a whole is 3 per cent.

Terrorism: Prisoners Release

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 158, how many prisoners convicted of terrorist offences and serving a determinate sentence under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 will be automatically released after serving half of their sentence.

Jack Straw: All offenders who receive a standard determinate sentence are automatically released at the halfway point of their sentence and remain under licence, subject to recall if they breach licence conditions, for the remainder of their sentence, under Criminal Justice Act 2003. Offenders who receive an indeterminate or extended sentence for a sexual or violent offence, are not automatically released, although an extended sentence prisoner may be released at the halfway point upon the Parole Board's discretion.
	I am unaware of any proposals which have been put before either House by any member during proceedings on the Terrorism Act 2000, the Criminal Justice Act 2003, or other relevant Bills for there to be different and specific arrangements relating to the release of those convicted of terrorist related offences and sentencers are fully aware of the release arrangements when they hand down a sentence for any offence.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Wills) at Justice oral questions on 29 April that a wide range of offences are covered by the term terrorism. The most serious terrorists are generally sentenced to indeterminate sentences.
	The Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General's Office are currently working with the National Coordinator for Terrorist Investigations to improve the quality of data on conviction under terrorist legislation and those under other legislation but following a terrorist investigation. As soon as this is complete a statistical bulletin to cover information on arrests and convictions will be published.

Uganda: Refugees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether  (a) he,  (b) officials of his Department and  (c) UK representatives in Uganda have had discussions with the government of Uganda on the provision of schooling in camps for displaced people and return areas for those affected by the conflict with the Lords Resistance Army in the northern districts of Uganda.

Gillian Merron: During his visit to Uganda in November 2007, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited a school in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp and had discussions with local government authorities on a range of issues including those relating to the provision of, and access to, education, stressing the importance of ensuring that education as a priority in the development of the Government of Uganda's Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP).
	The Department for International Development (DFID) and other partners are currently in discussion with the Government of Uganda on the options for funding the implementation of the PRDP.

Air Force: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours of training were required for those flying  (a) fast jets,  (b) transport aircraft and  (c) helicopters in the RAF in each year since 2003.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Liam Fox:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 21 April 2008, (Official Report, column 1638W) that about the number of hours training required for those flying fast jets, transport aircraft and helicopters in each year since 2003.
	Aircrew are monitored for competency levels throughout their flying career and training continues for Front Line aircrew after the initial award of Combat Ready status. Aircrew undertake regular flying practice and undergo periodic assessment by an appropriate examining body. The average hours of pilot training each year are shown in the table below.
	There has been no significant variation in these figures over the period in question. All figures in the table are approximate and are rounded to the nearest five.
	
		
			  Type of aircraft/helicopter  Average hours of pilot flying training allocated each year 
			 Fast Jets 210 
			 Transport aircraft 290 
			 Puma, Merlin and Chinook helicopters 240 
			 Sea King helicopters 90 
		
	
	The hours for Hawk training aircraft and contracted helicopters such as the Squirrel and Griffin have not been included.

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the order for the future aircraft carriers has not been placed; and what conditions will have to be fulfilled before it will be placed.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 22 May 2008
	I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement laid by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Des Browne) on 20 May 2008,  Official Report, column 15WS, indicating we have given our written assurance to industry of our intention to place the contract once the proposed shipbuilding joint venture company has formed.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many young people are members of cadet contingents attached to HM Forces in  (a) Northumberland,  (b) Tyne and Wear,  (c) County Durham and  (d) Cleveland.

Derek Twigg: There are cadet contingents which are affiliated to all of the four MOD sponsored cadet forces in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Cleveland. Cadet forces are not attached to HM Forces. The numbers of young people in the cadet forces in the respective counties are as follows:
	
		
			   Northumberland  County Durham  Tyne and Wear  Cleveland 
			 Combined Cadet Force 0 285 115 40 
			 Sea Cadet Corps 196 0 123 112 
			 Army Cadet Force 680 858 821 
			 Air Training Corps 1,098 260 
		
	
	Cadet forces are not all organised on current regional government lines; numbers above are broken down as closely as possible.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the peacetime establishment was of  (a) 7(th) Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery,  (b) The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and  (c) The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland before deployment to Afghanistan; what the strength of each on deployment was; how many reinforcements were received by each from (i) the regular Army, (ii) the Territorial Army and (iii) the regular Army Reserves; and how many of all ranks of each are remaining in the UK (A) on recruitment duties, (B) physically unfit to deploy and (C) in barracks in reserve.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 22 May 2008
	The following table provides the information requested: however as disclosure of exact numbers would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces, I have rounded numbers to the nearest 100 or where less than 100 to the nearest 10, as appropriate.
	
		
			   7 PARA RHA  2 Scots  5 Scots 
			 Peace Establishment 500 600 700 
			 Deployed Strength 400 400 500 
			 TA reinforcements <10 <10 50 
			 Reg Reserves Reinforcements 0 0 <10 
			 Regular Army 100 0 50 
			 Unfit to deploy 40 70 60 
			 Recruitment duties <10 10 20 
			 Rear Party 70 30 60 
		
	
	7 PARA RHA are heavily reinforced from other Regular Army units due to their current role in theatre. This is not unusual for specialist roles.

Defence: Procurement

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what review of the defence procurement programme is in progress; and when he expects announcements to be made about the next stage in the procurement of  (a) future Lynx,  (b) the future carrier programme,  (c) the Astute programme,  (d) JSF,  (e) FRES,  (f) Type 45,  (g) A400M and  (h) Nimrod MRA4.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 6 May 2008
	We are undertaking an examination of our planning assumptions for equipment over the next 10 years, with a view to bearing down on cost increases to equipment programmes and shifting the overall balance of defence procurement to the support of operations. This will provide an important input to our next planning round.
	We announced on 8 May 2008 that we have provisionally selected the Piranha five as the preferred design for the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) utility vehicle. We announced on 20 May 2008 that the MOD is ready to go ahead with the contract signature for the future aircraft carriers. Any further announcements on individual projects will be made when appropriate.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the anticipated operating and non-operating appropriations in aid are for each year of the comprehensive spending review; and whether they were included in the near cash resource and capital departmental expenditure limits given in his answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1893W, on Departments: public expenditure.

Bob Ainsworth: Anticipated operating and non-operating appropriations in aid are published in Departmental Estimates. Operating and non-operating appropriations in aid were included in the 2006-07 outturn figures quoted in my answer of 10 September 2007,  Official Report, column 1893W.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Gerald Howarth:
	Thank you for your letter of 27 March following my response to your Parliamentary Question on 5 March 2008 (Official Report, col 2557-8W) about departmental expenditure. I apologise for the delay in replying.
	In your original question you referred my answer of 10 September (Official Report Column 1893W). I answered two questions from you on departmental expenditure on that day and regrettably the wrong Hansard reference was referred to in my reply.
	In answer to your question, the estimated Appropriations-in-Aid for the CSR years are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Operating  Non operating 
			 2008-09 1,243 300 
			 2009-10 1,277 200 
			 2010-11 1,312 283 
		
	
	These anticipated receipts were taken in account when setting our near cash and capital departmental expenditure limits given in my answer of 10(th) September. It should be noted that these are estimates are subject to a number of changeable factors (e.g. property prices and levels of assets disposals). I will place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
	I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.

Departmental Vetting

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) UK citizens born in the UK,  (b) UK citizens born abroad and  (c) foreign nationals recruited into his Department and its agencies are subject to (i) UK and (ii) overseas criminal record checks; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: All recruits to the Ministry of Defence, whether service or civilian, are subject to checks to ensure their reliability and suitability for the post in question. In addition, certain posts are restricted to UK citizens. For the majority of posts in the MOD and the armed forces, national security vetting is required. This includes a full criminal record check of both spent and unspent convictions on the police national computer in accordance with the then Prime Minister's statement on vetting on 15 December 1994,  Official Report, columns 764-66W.
	Where it is judged that national security vetting is unnecessary and the level of risk is acceptable, the Baseline Personnel Security Standard is applied. This requires recruits to declare unspent convictions against which random checks are carried out. When individuals will be working with children or vulnerable adults, any such checks are supplemented by checks with the Criminal Records Bureau.
	These regulations apply to all UK citizens resident in this country, regardless of their place of birth. The same applies to foreign citizens who are eligible to apply for civil service and armed forces posts.
	Work to improve access to overseas criminal conviction data is being taken forward by the Home Office and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Meg Hillier) to the hon. Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley) of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 824-25W.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Chinook,  (b) Merlin,  (c) Puma and  (d) Sea Kings are in the helicopter fleet; how many are available for use; and how many pilots serving with the armed forces are qualified to pilot each type of helicopter.

Bob Ainsworth: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Helicopter Type  Departmental total (total fleet)  Number available (forward fleet)  Number current and qualified pilots 
			 Chinook 48 29 109 
			 Merlin 70 41 108 
			 Puma 45 34 95 
			 Sea King 135 69 223 
		
	
	For the purposes of MOD reporting, the definition used for the number of helicopters available for use is the number in the Forward Fleet. This figure excludes any aircraft undergoing programmed upgrades, major repair or awaiting disposal. The data provided on the number of qualified pilots, represents the number of pilots in flying roles who are both qualified and current to fly each type. Information on the number of current and qualified pilots who are occupying non-flying roles is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for total and forward fleets is as at 1 May 2008.

Military Bases: Cash Dispensing

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with automated teller machine (ATM) operators on removing ATMs which charge for cash withdrawals from UK military bases.

Derek Twigg: Automated teller machines (ATMs) are installed on military establishments via a variety of means and as such this is not a matter which is managed centrally in the Ministry of Defence (MOD). ATMs are incorporated within multi-activity contracts, through independent agreement made locally by individual Commanding Officers, or provided as part of retail and leisure run facilities. Subject to the terms of any associated lease or licence, Commanding Officers are free to enter discussions with ATM providers and seek the removal of fee paying ATMs at any time. Where ATMs are provided under contract, removal would, of course, have to be in line with the terms of the contract.
	I understand that one of the leading ATM providers on the MOD estate, Forces Financial, are in the process of replacing its fee paying ATMs with free to use machines. It is anticipated that this replacement programme will be complete by mid 2009.

Military Equipment

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planning assumption of the average unit cost of  (a) procurement and  (b) through life support for a Joint Strike Fighter is; what changes there have been to these assumptions since April 2002; how many Piranha 5 Future Rapid Effect System utility vehicles are planned to be procured; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Unit production costs for joint strike fighter are dependant on the number and timing of aircraft purchases for all partner nations and the delivery profile. The UK's total procurement cost is likely to be up to £10 billion, depending on the number of aircraft required. Through life support for joint combat aircraft will also be shaped by the number and timing of aircraft deliveries and will be announced when the programme is sufficiently mature. We are continuously defining our requirement before seeking approval to procure aircraft.
	The number of Piranha V Future Rapid Effect System utility vehicles to be procured will be set at the time the main investment decision is taken.

Military Equipment: Finance

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what, in near cash terms, the  (a) resource and  (b) capital planned spend on each of his Department's 20 largest equipment projects is for financial years 2008-09 to 2017-18.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on the Department's planned spend across the acquisition timescale for the 20 largest projects, post major decision point measured by value based on future forecast procurement expenditure, and 10 largest projects, pre major decision point, can be found within the National Audit Office Major Projects Report 2007 Project Summary Sheets, (HC 98-11 Session 2007-08 dated 30 November 2007), as published by the Stationery Office and available on the NAO website at:
	http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/07-08/070898ii.pdf
	The detailed financial data forms part of the internal advice to Ministers on the overall affordability of the Defence programme and contains information which is commercially sensitive. I am therefore withholding this information as its release would, or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.

National Recognition of our Armed Forces: Cost

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of producing and publishing the inquiry into the National Recognition of the Armed Forces Study was.

Bob Ainsworth: The cost of production and publication of the inquiry into National Recognition of the Armed Forces Study is estimated to be some £176,000 of which approximately £144,000 was for the salaries of the two civil servants and one military officer supporting my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham (Mr. Davies)

Burma: United Nations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2008 to the hon. Member for Mid Norfolk,  Official Report, column 1813W, on Burma: United Nations, what further steps he has taken to co-ordinate international pressure on the ruling authorities in Burma to permit the fullest possible assistance to reach those affected by Cyclone Nargis.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, and I, have continued lobbying regional leaders. My noble Friend, Lord Malloch-Brown, visited Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Burma for ministerial discussions recently. On 19 May the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers agreed to create an aid co-ordination and delivery mechanism for Burma. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Burma with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York on 20 May. The UN Secretary-General attended the International Conference on Aid to Burma, co-ordinated by the UN and ASEAN, held in Rangoon on 25 May. We will continue to encourage the ASEAN countries urgently to set up a supply chain which we, and other donors, can use. We will continue to press for unfettered access to all the affected areas.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people from each country received Chevening scholarships in each of the last five years.

Jim Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Chelmsford, West (Simon Burns) on 16 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 996-99W. Details for the academic year 2003-04 are given in the Chevening Programme annual report for that year, which is also available at:
	http://www.chevening.com/about/reports/.
	A copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.
	Details for the academic year 2007-08 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Country  Core scheme  Central partnership  Fellows  Total 
			 Afghanistan 12 1 — 13 
			 Albania 7 3 7 17 
			 Algeria 6 — 1 7 
			 Angola 2 — 1 3 
			 Anguilla 1 — — 1 
			 Antigua 0 — 1 1 
			 Argentina 13 4 — 17 
			 Armenia 4 1 1 6 
			 Australia 6 5 — 11 
			 Azerbaijan 4 3 3 10 
			 Bahamas 1 1 — 2 
			 Bahrain 6 — 1 7 
			 Bangladesh 7 — 5 12 
			 Barbados 0 — 1 1 
			 Belarus 3 7 — 10 
			 Belize 1 — — 1 
			 Bolivia 1 2 — 3 
			 Bosnia 7 2 1 10 
			 Botswana 2 1 1 4 
			 Brazil 31 3 6 40 
			 British Virgin Islands 0 — — 0 
			 Brunei 2 — — 2 
			 Bulgaria 5 12 — 17 
			 Burma 12 — 6 18 
			 Cambodia 2 — 9 11 
			 Cameroon 3 2 7 12 
			 Canada 6 — 2 8 
			 Cayman Islands 1 — — 1 
			 Chile 12 — — 12 
			 China 145 8 10 163 
			 Colombia 6 4 1 11 
			 Costa Rica 2 — 1 3 
			 Cote D'Ivoire 0 — — 0 
			 Croatia 4 16 3 23 
			 Cuba 3 — — 3 
			 Cyprus 2 — — 2 
			 Czech Republic 2 2 — 4 
			 Dem Rep Congo 2 1 — 3 
			 Dominica 1 — — 1 
			 Dominican Rep (& Haiti) 3 — — 3 
			 DPR Korea 0 — — 0 
			 East Jerusalem 10 4 5 19 
			 East Timor 1 — — 1 
			 Ecuador 2 — 2 4 
			 Egypt 28 5 7 40 
			 El Salvador 1 — — 1 
			 Eritrea 0 — — 0 
			 Estonia 3 — 2 5 
			 Ethiopia 8 — 4 12 
			 Fiji 1 — — 1 
			 Gambia 1 — — 1 
			 Georgia 6 13 2 21 
			 Ghana 7 1 2 10 
			 Guatemala 0 — — 0 
			 Guyana 1 — 2 3 
			 Honduras 0 1 — 1 
			 Hong Kong 24 4 2 30 
			 Hungary 2 2 1 5 
			 Iceland 0 — — 0 
			 India 45 6 1 52 
			 Indonesia 31 7 7 45 
			 Iran 21 1 3 25 
			 Iraq 20 1 — 21 
			 Israel 9 1 — 10 
			 Jamaica 7 — — 7 
			 Japan 5 — — 5 
			 Jordan 10 1 2 13 
			 Kazakhstan 5 4 2 11 
			 Kenya 11 2 7 20 
			 Kiribati 0 — — 0 
			 Korea 34 — — 34 
			 Kosovo 8 6 — 14 
			 Kuwait 3 — 1 4 
			 Kyrgyzstan 2 4 — 6 
			 Laos 0 — — 0 
			 Latvia 2 — 1 3 
			 Lebanon 5 1 1 7 
			 Lesotho 3 — — 3 
			 Liberia 0 — 2 2 
			 Libya 6 — — 6 
			 Lithuania 2 — — 2 
			 Luxembourg 0 — — 0 
			 Macedonia 6 4 1 11 
			 Madagascar 0 — — 0 
			 Malawi 3 9 2 14 
			 Malaysia 23 2 6 31 
			 Maldives 1 — — 1 
			 Mali 0 — — 0 
			 Malta 5 — 1 6 
			 Mauritius 2 — — 2 
			 Mexico 35 1 6 42 
			 Micronesia 1 — — 1 
			 Moldova 3 3 — 6 
			 Mongolia 2 5 — 7 
			 Montenegro 1 — — 1 
			 Montserrat 1 — — 1 
			 Morocco 5 — — 5 
			 Mozambique 3 1 1 5 
			 Namibia 3 — — 3 
			 Nepal 2 1 5 8 
			 New Zealand 0 2 1 3 
			 Nicaragua 1 — — 1 
			 Niger 0 — — 0 
			 Nigeria 28 6 2 36 
			 Oman 8 — 2 10 
			 Pakistan 28 8 14 50 
			 Panama 1 — — 1 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 — — 1 
			 Paraguay 1 — — 1 
			 Peru 1 1 — 2 
			 Philippines 5 1 11 17 
			 Poland 11 2 4 17 
			 Qatar 0 — — 0 
			 Romania 7 13 1 21 
			 Russia 29 10 2 41 
			 Rwanda 2 — — 2 
			 Saudi Arabia 0 — — 0 
			 Senegal 2 — 2 4 
			 Serbia 5 10 3 18 
			 Seychelles 1 — — 1 
			 Sierra Leone 3 1 — 4 
			 Singapore 4 — 3 7 
			 Slovakia 3  1 4 
			 Slovenia 8 — — 8 
			 Solomon Islands 0 — — 0 
			 South Africa 12 3 3 18 
			 Sri Lanka 4 1 — 5 
			 St. Helena 1 — — 1 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis 0 — — 0 
			 St. Lucia 0 — — 0 
			 St. Vincent 2 — — 2 
			 Sudan 6 1 6 13 
			 Swaziland 0 1 — 1 
			 Syria 15 5 — 20 
			 Taiwan 9 — 1 10 
			 Tajikistan 3 12 — 15 
			 Tanzania 6 3 1 10 
			 Thailand 7 1 2 10 
			 Tonga 0 1 — 1 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 2 2 2 6 
			 Tunisia 4 — 4 8 
			 Turkey 33 2 6 41 
			 Turkmenistan 2 2 — 4 
			 Tuvalu 0 — — 0 
			 UAE 3 — — 3 
			 Uganda 5 6 — 11 
			 Ukraine 12 2 — 14 
			 Uruguay 2 — 1 3 
			 USA 0 — 1 1 
			 Uzbekistan 2 4 4 10 
			 Vanuatu 0 — — 0 
			 Venezuela 4 — 2 6 
			 Vietnam 13 4 8 25 
			 Yemen 6 — — 6 
			 Zambia 7 14 — 21 
			 Zimbabwe 14 14 — 28 
			 Totals 1,070 300 233 1,603

Departmental Internet

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department's Bloggers website has cost.

Jim Murphy: The costs involved in setting up the blogging platform were given in my written response to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 13 December 2007,  Official Report, column 828W.
	The blogs are now part of the new FCO web platform. The ongoing costs of the blogs are included in the overall costs of the web platform, details of which were given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Meg Munn, on 30 January 2008,  Official Report, column 398W.

Australia

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs have visited Australia in an official capacity since 1 January 2008; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 22 May 2008
	There have been two visits to Australia by HM Treasury and HMRC staff since 1 January 2008 as follows.
	Two Treasury officials visited Australia primarily to discuss matters relating to tax credits. There have been two HM Revenue and Customs staff making visits to Australia, on separate occasions.
	The first accompanying the Treasury officials mentioned above; the second to represent HMRC at two international groups, that co-ordinated the dates of meeting to minimise cost, and who meet twice a year split between the UK and Australia. The first group met with representatives from UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Netherlands to discuss and review progress on the implementation of work commissioned by the OECD Taxpayer Service Group. The second group "The International Standard Business Reporting Forum" met to resolve a number of international reporting standards to improve financial reporting to Governments. In addition it acts as a mutual assistance group of practitioners from the public and private sector.

Bank Notes

Si�n James: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of 5 notes in circulation; whether he has taken steps to encourage the banking industry to make 5 notes available through cash machines; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: Bank of England data shows that at the end of February 2008 there was approximately 1,250 million of 5 notes in circulation.
	In his speech at the Mansion House in June 2007, the Governor of the Bank of England highlighted that he was concerned about the availability of 5 notes to the public. He also stated that there was an ample supply of 5 notes available from the Bank of England and suggested that banks might need greater incentives to put the available 5 notes into circulation.
	Since the Governor's speech, the annual growth rate of 5 notes in circulation has risen from around 5 per cent. to around 10 per cent. I understand that the Bank of England is currently holding discussions with commercial institutions about this matter.

Low Incomes

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to assist people on low incomes; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Since 1997 the Government have introduced a series of reforms to make work pay and to guarantee minimum weekly incomes for families with and without children. By October 2008, in real terms, families with children in the poorest fifth of the population will be, on average, 4,100 a year better off.
	The working tax credit and the national minimum wage work together to provide a guaranteed income in work. The minimum income guarantee for single people aged 25 or over, and in full-time work, has increased by 30 per cent. in real terms since 1999.
	On 13 May 2008, the Chancellor announced further support for low and middle-income families for 2008-09. For the current tax year, income tax personal allowances will be increased by 600 for all tax payers under 65. Around 22 million basic-rate taxpayers will benefit from this change.
	The Government will set out plans for future years in the 2008 pre-Budget report, with the aim to continue the same level of support for those on lower incomes.

Members: Correspondence

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 19 March 2008 from the right hon. Member for Gordon on capital financing in Scotland and future projects.

Yvette Cooper: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs received the letter from the hon. Member for Birkenhead on the credit appeal of a constituent (reference chm/08593/2008); and when he expects to bring the appeal to tribunal.

Jane Kennedy: The HM Revenue and Customs acting chairman received my right hon. Friend's letter on 6 March 2008.
	HMRC have now settled this appeal direct with the customer.

Asylum: Children

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to reimburse the outstanding costs incurred by local authorities in caring for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008; and what plans she has to provide local authorities with 100 per cent. of their future funding to care for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office provides a grant to local authorities for the provision of support to unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged under 18. All authorities have been fully funded up to national rates in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 for cases supported under the grant instructions. Those authorities on enhanced rates have also been fully funded up to their enhanced rate claim value for 2005-06 and 2006-07. In addition the authorities identified as gateways received 100 per cent. of special circumstances claimed for 2005-06 and 70 per cent. for 2006-07. The other authorities that claimed were awarded 82.5 per cent. and 38.5 per cent. of their claim respectively.
	All outstanding claims for 2007-08 are due from local authorities by 31 July 2008.
	There are no plans to increase funding levels for previous years, and the budget remains fixed for 2007-08. Discussions on this matter are on- going with representatives from the Local Government Association and London councils.
	In January 2008, we set out in the paper Better Outcomes: The Way Forwardimproving the Care of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (a copy of which is in the Library, DEP2008-0274) our plans to enter into new arrangements with selected local authorities who would become specialists in the care of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. These new arrangements would simplify funding and mean that the specialist authorities receive payment in full for the services they provide.

Community Policing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which advertising agency her Department contracted to design the advertising campaign for neighbourhood policing teams; and what the value of that contract was.

Liam Byrne: The advertising agency that designed the neighbourhood policing ads that ran on March 31 2008 is M and C Saatchi.
	We have given the media costs of the campaign (in answer to PQ answered on 20 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 225-26W, but the agency fee is commercially confidential.

Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminal offences related to the misappropriation of proofs of identity have been  (a) reported and  (b) brought to trial in each of the last five years; in how many such prosecutions convictions were achieved; and what information has been collated on the number of victims of such crimes from answers to the new questions incorporated into the British crime survey in 2005 on such matters.

Jacqui Smith: In terms of recorded crime and court proceedings, statistics are not available in the form requested.
	The use of another person's identification details (or the use of false identification details), often referred to as identity theft, is not in itself an offence in law. It is the action that is undertaken, using those identification details, that needs to be considered in respect of whether an offence has occurred. As such no specific information is available.
	Most instances of 'Identity Theft' come to light when victim's details are used to obtain goods, services or money using credit arrangements or loans. Instances of this should be recorded under the new Home Office offence classifications 'Fraud by False Representation Other Fraud' or 'Obtaining Services Dishonestly'. These new offences were created following the introduction of the Fraud Act 2006 and were introduced into the recorded crime series with effect from April 2007.
	Where bank, credit card, or store card accounts are opened using identities to which the individuals are not entitled, and then used to commit fraud, then an offence of 'Fraud by False Representation Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts (NOT eBay or Pay Pal)' should be recorded.
	If there is no intent to commit fraud and there is evidence that an account has been created using a false, stolen or improperly obtained identity document contained within the Identity Cards Act 2006 then an offence under the new classification 'Possession of False Documents' should be recorded.
	Statistics for all the new recorded crime offence classifications referred to above will be available for 2007-08 and will be published in July 2008. Information on fraud and forgery offences recorded by the police using the old classifications is available in table 2.04 of 'Crime in England and Wales 2006/07'. The table can be accessed at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1107chap2.xls
	Equivalent data for court proceedings and cautions for fraud offences (under the old classifications) can be found in the Criminal Statistics England and Wales publication which can be accessed at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/crim-stats-2006-tag.pdf
	Tables 2.8 and 2.13 show prosecutions and crown court trials for fraud and forgery and table 3.16 shows convictions and cautions for fraud and forgery broken down by offence class.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 for the offences referred to above will not be available until the autumn of 2008.
	With regard to information collated by the British Crime Survey on victims of such crimes, according to the 2006-07 BCS, 2 per cent. of adults had experienced their personal details being used in the last year without their permission in one or more of the ways asked about. This proportion includes those who came to know about the identity fraud, but the true figure could be higher because some respondents may not have known about the deception.
	Detailed information from the 2005-06 BCS on ID fraud is contained in section 3.5 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/07 entitled 'Mobile phone theft, plastic card and identity fraud: Findings from the 2005/06 British Crime Survey'. A copy of this publication is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1007.pdf

Crime: Databases

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects the National Ballistics Intelligence Service Database, the National Firearms Register on the Police National Computer and the National Firearms Licensing Management System to be able to share data.

Tony McNulty: The potential requirements for the sharing of information between the National Ballistics Intelligence Service Database (NABIS) and the National Firearms Licensing Management System was examined, and discussed, in detail by key stakeholders (including forensic and investigatory professionals) throughout the lifetime of the project management process.
	It was found that the potential crossover between the data held by the systems was very small, due to the very low instances of legally held firearms being used in gun crime and the small overlap in information shared between the two applications. Furthermore, the data descriptors of 'firearms recovered at Scenes of Crime' and 'firearms being licensed' may be somewhat different and, as a result, inquiries would be passed from NABIS to expert firearms officers in the Licensing Departments. As a consequence, it was agreed that any risk of legally held firearms being used for criminal purposes was so low and the difficulty of automating a matching process between systems that the cost of building such an interface would outweigh any perceived benefits.
	The NABIS system has been designed to accredited police corporate data model standards, which means that information sharing may be possible in the future providing that there is a business case to do so.

Departmental Publications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of the most recent edition of her Department's staff handbook.

Jacqui Smith: I am arranging for a copy of the Home Office Staff Handbook to be placed in the Library.

Departmental Training

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on awaydays for staff in her Department in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The Home Office accounting system does not separately identify expenditure on staff away days. To provide the requested detail would incur disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter of 28 February 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton, with regard to Mr. Floyd B. Smith.

Jacqui Smith: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 28 April 2008.

Money Laundering

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the recommendations of the SARS review published by Sir Stephen Lander in March 2006 have been implemented.

Jacqui Smith: The first Annual Report of the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) Regime, published on 28 November 2007, gives an account of progress made against the Recommendations of Sir Stephen Lander's Review by regime participants. The Financial Intelligence Unit, located within the Serious Organised Crime Agency, successfully addressed all 24 recommendations.

Offenders: Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2008,  Official Report, column 2341W, on offenders: deportation, how many of the 250 sentence-expired foreign prisoners from countries where difficulties arise in enforcing removal had been serving a sentence for an offence of a violent or sexual nature; and how many have been detained under immigration powers following the expiry of their sentence for more than  (a) 12 months,  (b) two years and  (c) three years.

Liam Byrne: Centrally collated information for foreign national prisoners where deportation action or removal is being pursued will only list the latest offence. It would be necessary to examine individual case files to ascertain whether the individual has previously been convicted of violent or sexual offences, which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 18 February that all of the 250 foreign national prisoners that are detained awaiting deportation action and are from countries where there are difficulties in enforcing removal have been detained under immigration powers for nine months or more. The longest any individual has been detained under immigration act powers is around two years.

Police Associations: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what funding the  (a) Gay Police Association,  (b) National Black Policing Association and  (c) Christian Police Association received from her Department in each of the last five years;
	(2)  whether  (a) the Gay Police Association,  (b) the National Black Police Association and  (c) the Christian Police Association received funding from her Department in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The following table sets out the funding paid to the national Gay Police Association (GPA) and National Black Police Association (NBPA) in each of the last five years. The Christian Police Association (CPA) has not requested any funding.
	
		
			   
			   DSSA 
			   (a) GPA  (b) NBPA 
			 2003-04 57,416.25 74,339.39 
			 2004-05 74,035.00 123,638.00 
			 2005-06 120,480.00 198,083.50 
			 2006-07 107,000.00 180,000.98 
			 2007-08 100,000.00 89,349.73

Police: Ethnic Groups

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) proportion of ethnic minorities in the population of each police force area,  (b) proportion of ethnic minority police officers in each police force and  (c) proportion of ethnic minority police officers of each rank in each police force was on the latest date for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The requested information is not available. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) mid-year population estimates are used to calculate police officer rates per hundred thousand residents. The data used to calculate these populations by police force area do not contain details of ethnicity. Further information about Home Office use of ONS data can be found on:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/population_stats.html
	In 1999, my then predecessor published a 10-year target relating to the achievement of a representative workforce. The targets for the police service were based on Labour Force Survey data from 1996 to 1998 and reflected the number of economically active ethnic minority individuals aged between 18 and 54. These targets are given in Table 17 of the latest annual publication which can be found on:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/race-equality-targets-2006-07
	 (b), (c) The requested information can be found in Table 7 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Police Service Strength, England and Wales, 31 March 2007. The bulletin can be found in the House Libraries or on:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb1307.pdf

Road Traffic Offences

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers  (a) the police and  (b) other authorities have to deal with unsolicited car windscreen washers; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Police and local authorities have available a range of measures to deal with antisocial behaviour, including the nuisance caused by unsolicited car windscreen washers. The measures are usually employed incrementally and it is important that they should be proportionate to the behaviour concerned. Among the available measures normally used for low-level antisocial behaviour are warnings, acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), and injunctions. For more serious cases, antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) may be used. In addition, the police have powers to disperse groups of two or more where their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result, in a member of the public being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed. These could be used where more than person is engaged in unsolicited windscreen washing in a particular location.

Stop and Search

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were recorded as being searched under the powers of stop and search in each of the last five years; and of those, how many were subsequently arrested for carrying  (a) knives and  (b) firearms in (i) England, (ii) London, (iii) the North East, (iv) Tees Valley district and (v) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Vernon Coaker: The available information held by the Ministry of Justice is given in the following table. Data collected centrally are available at police force level only.
	
		
			  Total searches of persons under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and other legislation( 1) , section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and sections 44(1)  44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000, and resultant arrests, by area, from 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   England  London( 2)  North  East Region( 3) 
			   Total searches of persons  Arrests for offensive weapons  Arrests for firearms  Total searches of persons  Arrests for offensive weapons  Arrests for firearms  Total searches of persons  Arrests for offensive weapons  Arrests for firearms 
			 2001-02 694,947 7,956 869 213,534 3,539 374 75,365 403 24 
			 2002-03 886,510 9,207 996 293,904 3,621 394 74,958 431 43 
			 2003-04 765,183 8,019 876 259,739 2,721 270 38,029 471 31 
			 2004-05 881,057 9,344 1,382 274,883 2,679 348 48,980 875 43 
			 2005-06 915,584 9,515 1,336 323,444 3,487 462 51,224 655 43 
			 (1) Total searches includes searches under Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968; also included are other legislation which relates to searches under other powers, such as under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 s15 (which since 19 February 2001 has been replaced by section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000); various poaching and wildlife conservation legislation; the Aviation Security Act 1982, s27(1); the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s163 and 164; and the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol, etc) Act 1985. (2 )Includes City of London and Metropolitan police. (3 )Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.

Vetting

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of record checks processed by the Criminal Records Bureau in each year since 2002 had comments from chief police officers on otherwise clean reports, broken down by police force area.

Jacqui Smith: The CRB does not collate data on the number of disclosures which contain comments from chief police officers but which do not contain any data from the Police National Computer (PNC), Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) or Department of Health (DoH).
	The CRB does collate the overall number of records checks completed by the police which result in comments from chief police officers being released.
	Comments from chief police officers can be revealed on the face of a disclosure as approved information or in rare cases sent separately directly to the registered body as additional information.
	The overall number and proportion of records checks conducted by the police forces which resulted in such information being released in each year for which records are available can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Volume of approved/additional information as percentage of total police checks 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total volume of police checks 2,752,962 3,054,266 3,468,417 4,043,003 4,252,152 
			 Volume of checks where information released 10,423 11,726 18,146 17,673 21,710 
			 Percentage of total 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.5 
			  Note: It should be noted that only the figures for the last two years include additional information. However, the numbers of checks which resulted in additional information being released is very small, making up less than 1 per cent. of the combined approved and additional figure for 2007-08. 
		
	
	The number of records checks completed by the police forces is not the same as the number of disclosures issued because several forces may conduct checks in order to produce one disclosure and more than one force may release approved or additional information.
	The following tables show the figures broken down by police force area.
	
		
			  Volume of approved/additional information as percentage of police checks completed by each force 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Force  Volume  Checks  Percentage  Volume  Checks  Percentage  Volume  Checks  Percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset 119 82,843 0.1 128 82,377 0.2 316 103,919 0.3 
			 Bedfordshire 58 30,846 0.2 155 36,934 0.4 227 43,265 0.5 
			 British Transport Police  
			 Cambridgeshire 51 36,015 0.1 152 51,146 0.3 209 54,387 0.4 
			 Cheshire 180 53,486 0.3 261 56,334 0.5 567 63,772 0.9 
			 City of London 7 94 7.4 9 294 3.1 6 1,464 0.4 
			 Cleveland 179 25 729 0.7 282 28,597 1.0 324 29,457 1.1 
			 Cumbria 518 24,620 2.1 336 25,317 1.3 789 26,332 3.0 
			 Derbyshire 103 45,504 0.2 234 47,709 0.5 300 54,541 0.6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 184 86,648 0.2 312 85,565 0.4 687 106,105 0.6 
			 Dorset 141 38,953 0.4 24 45,010 0.1 45 51,109 0.1 
			 Durham 302 28,740 1.1 355 31,127 1.1 408 36,479 1.1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 14 24,183 0.1 45 28,287 0.2 113 32,620 0.3 
			 Essex 186 79,072 0.2 98 94,704 0.1 211 99,021 0.2 
			 Gloucester 60 29,054 0.2 73 31,436 0.2 141 35,903 0.4 
			 Greater Manchester 977 125,874 0.8 2,077 141,297 1.5 1,840 157,844 1.2 
			 Guernsey 11 637 1.7 11 702 1.6 5 886 0.6 
			 Gwent 116 25,928 0.4 62 27,698 0.2 104 28,445 0.4 
			 Hampshire 132 98,061 0.1 129 105,969 0.1 195 116,322 0.2 
			 Hertfordshire 70 60,518 0.1 83 68,826 0.1 181 69,581 0.3 
			 Humberside 83 41,507 0.2 204 49,413 0.4 259 56,084 0.5 
			 Isle of Man 8 770 1.0 17 1,029 1.7 8 1,368 0.6 
			 Jersey 3 83 3.6 5 799 06 5 1,671 0.3 
			 Kent 480 83,353 0.6 663 83,655 08 835 97,491 0.9 
			 Lancashire 195 79,847 0.2 170 86,188 0.2 313 97,544 0.3 
			 Leicestershire 295 41,197 0.7 36 47,434 0.1 201 58,698 0.3 
			 Lincolnshire 44 38,536 0.1 26 57,113 0.0 20 65,541 0.0 
			 Merseyside 217 72,721 0.3 211 81,113 0.3 185 93,024 0.2 
			 Metropolitan 1,148 427,076 0.3 984 458,094 0.2 2,100 534,128 0.4 
			 MOD and PGA  
			 Norfolk 306 34,344 0.9 149 40,965 0.4 285 47,001 0.6 
			 North Wales 311 32,665 1.0 343 38,923 0.9 240 46,234 0.5 
			 North Yorkshire 178 39,419 0.5 324 45,232 0.7 735 54,396 1.4 
			 Northamptonshire 312 36,335 0.9 222 38,450 0.6 389 47,472 0.8 
			 Northumbria 311 68,617 0.5 71 71,417 0.1 236 81,652 0.3 
			 Nottinghamshire 305 46,951 0.6 453 50,008 0.9 505 58,340 0.9 
			 PSNI 117 6,077 1.9 275 6,975 3.9 345 8,386 4.1 
			 Royal Military Police  
			 Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency  
			 SCRO 615 22,312 2.8 789 25,385 3.1 956 28,368 3.4 
			 South Wales 29 49,849 0.1 31 62,005 0.0 48 67,398 0.1 
			 South Yorkshire 70 53,620 0.1 130 60,056 0.2 249 67,739 0.4 
			 Staffordshire 71 50,618 0 1 249 55,983 0.4 632 59,551 1.1 
			 Suffolk 376 32,690 1.2 308 34,813 0.9 247 42,002 0.6 
			 Surrey 115 70,727 0.2 155 76,392 0.2 160 75,400 0.2 
			 Sussex 93 80,161 0.1 98 85,410 0.1 121 93,118 0.1 
			 Thames Valley 363 108,775 0.3 71 121,033 0.1 215 152,135 0.1 
			 UK Central Authority 0 0
			 Warwickshire 62 24,297 0.3 67 27,083 0.2 94 32,898 0.3 
			 West Mercia 97 66,878 0.1 218 71,554 0.3 479 82,526 0.6 
			 West Midlands 360 122,960 0.3 330 144,239 0.2 809 142,695 0.6 
			 West Yorkshire 380 94,478 0.4 192 113,137 0.2 639 124,110 05 
			 Wiltshire 71 29,294 0.2 109 31,039 0.4 168 39,995 0.4 
			   
			 Grand total 10,423 2,752,962 0.4 11,726 3,054,266 0.4 18,146 3,468,417 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-2008 
			  Force  Volume  Checks  Percentage  Volume  Checks  Percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset 269 112,091 0.2 291 122,440 0.2 
			 Bedfordshire 245 47,930 0.5 321 49,261 0.7 
			 British Transport Police 21 11,364 0.2 68 27,338 0.2 
			 Cambridgeshire 195 64,443 0.3 300 62,161 0.5 
			 Cheshire 370 71,977 0.5 645 80,312 0.8 
			 City of London 20 2,221 0.9 33 2,946 1.1 
			 Cleveland 426 38,653 1.1 594 39,573 1.5 
			 Cumbria 313 33,144 0.9 249 31,871 0.8 
			 Derbyshire 333 64,764 0.5 406 71,080 0.6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 719 119,876 0.6 840 131,682 0.6 
			 Dorset 39 53,971 0.1 41 57,297 0.1 
			 Durham 241 41,061 0.6 456 43,353 1.1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 98 35,053 0.3 109 40,970 0.3 
			 Essex 203 113,886 0.2 241 122,644 0.2 
			 Gloucester 64 37,410 0.2 68 43,056 0.2 
			 Greater Manchester 925 191,116 0.5 777 186,972 0.4 
			 Guernsey 0 1,426 0.0 1 1,157 0.1 
			 Gwent 141 37,670 0.4 112 38,649 0.3 
			 Hampshire 359 146,869 0.2 472 150,083 0.3 
			 Hertfordshire 249 87,514 0.3 342 87,774 0.4 
			 Humberside 224 58,097 0.4 531 54,687 1.0 
			 Isle of Man 6 1,474 0.4 7 1,689 0.4 
			 Jersey 3 1,932 0.2 2 1,860 0.1 
			 Kent 845 112,074 0.8 766 122,043 0.6 
			 Lancashire 366 106,409 0.3 746 111,853 0.7 
			 Leicestershire 328 66,678 0.5 717 68,324 1.0 
			 Lincolnshire 82 67,100 0.1 202 64,148 0.3 
			 Merseyside 190 113,587 0.2 187 120,010 0.2 
			 Metropolitan 1,965 589,417 0.3 1,757 611,608 0.3 
			 MOD and PGA 0 0  10 127 7.9 
			 Norfolk 274 60,677 0.5 225 62,079 0.4 
			 North Wales 168 51,994 0.3 289 58,260 0.5 
			 North Yorkshire 775 60,493 1.3 868 69,189 1.3 
			 Northamptonshire 316 52,320 0.6 316 51,228 0.6 
			 Northumbria 180 94,731 0.2 460 102,399 0.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 361 67,080 0.5 435 71,886 0.6 
			 PSNI 378 9,442 4.0 127 12,528 1.0 
			 Royal Military Police 0 0  28 4,486 0.6 
			 Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency 0 2 0.0 0 27 0.0 
			 SCRO 1,717 31,375 5.5 2,996 38,418 7.8 
			 South Wales 103 82,297 0 1 307 90,308 0.3 
			 South Yorkshire 173 80,522 0.2 212 88,882 0.2 
			 Staffordshire 681 79,628 0.9 386 73,666 0.5 
			 Suffolk 156 43,364 0.4 204 47,179 0.4 
			 Surrey 253 86,174 0.3 395 92,520 0.4 
			 Sussex 173 120,828 0.1 237 124,665 0.2 
			 Thames Valley 174 170,033 0.1 423 181,946 0.2 
			 UK Central Authority 0 2 0.0 0 60 0.0 
			 Warwickshire 119 35,085 0.3 153 39,511 0.4 
			 West Mercia 422 91,828 0.5 393 98,631 0.4 
			 West Midlands 807 203,887 0.4 860 193,107 0.4 
			 West Yorkshire 796 147,310 0.5 747 152,339 0.5 
			 Wiltshire 408 44,724 0.9 358 51,870 0.7 
			
			 Grand total 17,673 4,043,003 0.4 21,710 4,252,152 0.5 
			  Source: Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) and Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI)figures contain some conviction data also

Agriculture: Subsidies

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many single farm payments have been made relating to  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2005-06; and how many payments of what total value are outstanding relate to each of those years.

Jonathan R Shaw: For the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS) year, 117,109 customers have been paid 1.53 billion. Payments worth 58,644 are still outstanding for 8 customers.
	For the 2006 SPS year, 106,819 customers have been paid 1.514 billion. Payments worth 205,947 are outstanding for 42 customers.
	Outstanding 2005 and 2006 payments are complex cases involving legal and probate issues.
	As at 6 May 2008 97,809 customers out of the total estimated total claimant population of 106,700 have so far received full SPS payment for the 2007 SPS year. These payments are worth 1.255 billion, compared with the estimated total SPS fund value of 1.45 billion.
	RPA is working to finalise remaining payments as soon as possible.

Angling: Environment Protection

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on recreational fishing of the introduction of new licences under the draft Marine Bill.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 22 May 2008
	Amendments within the draft Marine Bill relating to recreational fishing in freshwater will give the Environment Agency the flexibility to introduce licences which differentiate between different types of waters in order that it might draw a distinction, for instance, between the best salmon rivers and those which are less good. As such, a distinction is not necessary at present, the Environment Agency has no intention of using this power immediately, and therefore there will be no effect on anglers in the short to middle term.
	With regards to the licensing of sea angling, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Reading, West (Martin Salter) on 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 944W.

Animal Welfare: Public Bodies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set up a new Animal Health and Welfare Agency to work alongside a National Centre for Animal Viral Disease.

Jonathan R Shaw: Animal Health is the Government's executive agency, which already exists to deliver animal health and welfare policies across Great Britain. The Government have recently consulted on the next steps for responsibility and cost sharing for animal health and welfare, including options for new institutional structures for responsibility sharing. The Government will be announcing their policy in due course. Animal health and welfare policy is a devolved matter and we are reviewing lessons learned from last year's foot and mouth outbreak about how we, together with the devolved Administrations, need to manage cross-border interests. As previously announced, the Government will be responding to lain Anderson's review later in the year (including his suggestion for a National Centre for Animal Viral Diseases).

Bluetongue Disease

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he estimates Herefordshire will become part of the bluetongue protection zone; and when Herefordshire farmers will receive the bluetongue vaccine.

Jonathan R Shaw: In accordance with the strategy for rolling out vaccination across England, which has been developed with a core group of industry stakeholders, the protection zone will be expanded at regular intervals over the summer, enabling vaccination to take place on a progressive basis. The strategy, which splits England into priority areas, is designed to be flexible, taking into account the delivery of vaccine, take-up in the existing protection zone, epidemiological information and the location of new disease, when it recurs.
	Under the order with Intervet, vaccine will arrive in regular deliveries until the end of August. Intervet is currently ahead of schedule. We cannot specify at this stage when vaccination will be rolled out into Herefordshire. However, we are issuing regular information bulletins to enable the industry to plan as far ahead as is possible.
	The strategy, map of priority areas and information bulletins are available on the Defra website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/bluetongue/control/vaccination/vaccination-rolloutplan.htm

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ensure that the bluetongue vaccine is administered in all parts of the country by 15 July 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 16 May 2008
	The UK was the first EU member state to order vaccine for BTV-8, and received its first batches from Intervet on 30 April, ahead of schedule, for use in the Protection Zone. We aim to get vaccine to as wide an area as possible, as it becomes available from the manufacturer, in order to help reduce the impact of the disease on industry and to free up movements of livestock. Under the order with Intervet, vaccine is being delivered on a regular basis until the end of August. The strategy for roll-out of vaccination has been developed in partnership with a core group of industry stakeholders.
	On 7 May, DEFRA announced, on the understanding that the industry would achieve mass vaccination against bluetongue, that it is tendering for further vaccine supplies for use over the summer.

Carbon Emissions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with international counterparts on securing agreement on a level of current carbon dioxide emissions to be used as a baseline for targets on emission reductions in the future.

Phil Woolas: This issue is on the agenda for the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG LCA) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It will be discussed at a workshop on a 'shared vision, including a long term goal' at the 14(th) Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP14) to be held in Poznan in December of this year.
	In addition ministerial colleagues and I have taken part in several other discussions on a long term goal (i.e. a level of current greenhouse gas emissions to be used as a baseline for targets on emission reductions in the future), through international fora and bilateral discussions..
	In particular, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment (Hilary Benn) has just returned from the G8 Environment Ministers' meeting in Japan, where Ministers underlined the need to reach agreement on a shared vision of a long-term goal at this year's G8 Summit, building on the commitment made last year to seriously consider reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least half by 2050.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 6th March 2008,  Official Report, column 2716W, on departmental ICT, how many of the missing or stolen  (a) laptops,  (b) mobile telephones and  (c) personal digital assistants have been replaced by his Department; and at what cost.

Jonathan R Shaw: Following the outsourcing of IT services to IBM in October 2004, computers/laptops are no longer classed as departmental assets as they form part of the overall contract for the provision of IT services. All IT equipment therefore belongs to IBM and Defra is not charged for replacement equipment. Defra does not keep a record of laptops replaced following loss or theft.
	Defra does not centrally record the individual replacement of lost or stolen mobile telephones or PDAs. Individual business units are required to maintain records of equipment held and run delegated budgets for the purchase of communication equipment. To gather the requested information from individual business units across Defra would incur a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projects sponsored by his Department were subject to Gateway reviews in each of the last four years; what status each project was assigned under such reviews; how much his Department spent on Gateway reviews in each such year; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 May 2008
	DEFRA have had 71 high and medium risk and 18 low risk reviews in the period 1 May 2004 to 1 May 2008. Gateway reports, including the findings and status, are conducted on a confidential basis for senior responsible owners (SROs). We do not, therefore, make this information routinely public.
	A key principle of Gateway reviews is that they are cost neutral. However, where there is a shortfall in civil service Gateway reviewers, suitably accredited external resource may be provided by the Office of Government Commerce at a charge. While the Department is unable to identify the individual costs for each review undertaken, as this information is not specifically recorded, DEFRA is currently in credit with OGC for its review days by a factor of 8,600 for the 2007-08 period.

Disease Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress is being made on cost-sharing for bio-security measures; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 7 May 2008,  Official Report, column 895W.

Farms

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will commission research into the use of commercial farms as a means of promoting well-being of people with disabilities or social needs.

Jonathan R Shaw: Defra has no plans to commission research into care farming at the current time. My ministerial colleague Lord Rooker visited the care farm Highfields Happy Hens on 22 May.

Floods: Research

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of the flood impact study by Cranfield University is; and what proportion of the cost will be met by  (a) the Environment Agency and  (b) the Commission for Rural Communities.

Phil Woolas: The joint Environment Agency and Defra Flood and Coastal Erosion Management (FCERM) Science programme commissioned Cranfield, Sheffield and Middlesex universities to carry out a study for Preliminary Data Collection and Estimating the Cost of Summer Flooding on Farmland and in Urban Areas. The combined cost for this project was 48,500 which included data collection, verification and analysis and professor and research assistant fees. The results will be used to test the accuracy of the Environment Agency's existing tools for estimating the impact of a flood. The Commission for Rural Communities funded a parallel project on rural areas costing 15,000.

Rights of Way: Vehicles

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on byways open to all traffic; and what steps his Department plans to take in light of the Court of Appeal judgment in the case of R on the Application of the Warden and Fellows of Winchester College and Humphrey Feeds Ltd  v. Hampshire county council and the Secretary of State.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government's policy on Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs) is set out in a document entitled 'Use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of waythe Government's framework for action', which was published in January 2005. In this document we made clear our intention to legislate to curtail claims for vehicular rights of way, where those claims derive from historic use and dedication for use by non-mechanically propelled vehicles. These proposals now form the basis of Part 6 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
	The case of 'R on the Application of the Warden and Fellows of Winchester College and Humphrey Feeds Ltd  v. Hampshire county council and the Secretary of State' was essentially about what is meant by an: application made in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 14 to Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, within the meaning of section 67(6) of the 2006 Act and whether such an application, made for a byway open to all traffic, would have engaged the exceptions in section 67(3) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and thereby have preserved public rights of way for mechanically propelled vehicles that were the subject of such an application.
	The Court of Appeal ruled that, for the purposes of section 67(6) of the 2006 Act, an application must be accompanied by copies of all the documentary evidence that the applicant wished to adduce or rely upon and a copy of a map drawn to the prescribed scale.
	It seems likely that there are many cases pending where, in light of this judgment, the conclusion will be that, even where there was an application for a BOAT made before the relevant date (as set out in section 67(4) of the 2006 Act), the requirements of paragraph 1 of schedule 14 will have not been complied with, within the strict terms emphasised by the judgment, and therefore the public rights of way for mechanically propelled vehicles will have been extinguished.
	Version 5 of DEFRA's online guidance on Part 6 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which will be published shortly, will include revised guidance on this aspect of the legislation. We have also issued revised guidance to rights of way inspectors to enable them to deal accordingly with any cases before them.

Cartels

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in which markets his Department has identified cartels in the last 11 years.

Gareth Thomas: Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the responsibility for identifying and investigating cartels falls to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The following list contains 15 cartel cases where an infringement decision was issued by the OFT against cartels under the Competition Act 1998. It does not include cases were allegations may be in the public domain but remain under investigation, or are subject to legal proceedings. They are:
	Supply of local bus services involving bus routes in the Leeds area.
	Supply of automatic slack adjusters within the UK.
	Supply of Hasbro toys and games in the UK.
	Provision of services by cattle auctioneers at livestock marts in Northern Ireland.
	Supply of luxury ornamental ware in the UK.
	Supply of football club's or national team's replica kits in the UK.
	Supply of repair, maintenance and improvement services for flat roofs in the West Midlands.
	Supply of desiccant through distributors for use in insulated glass units in the UK.
	Supply of installation, repair, maintenance and improvement services for felt and single ply flat roof coverings in the north east of England.
	Supply of installation, repair, maintenance and improvement services for mastic asphalt coverings for flat roofs (and other flat surfaces) in Scotland.
	Supply of installation, repair, maintenance and improvement services for felt and single ply coverings for flat roofs in western-central Scotland.
	Supply of installation, repair and maintenance and improvement services for coverings for flat roofs and vehicular decks in England and/or Scotland.
	Supply of stock check pads in the UK.
	Supply of aluminium spacer bars in the UK.
	Provision of boarding services and comparable day services by certain independent fee paying schools in the UK.

Companies Investigation Branch

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will draw to the attention of his Department's Companies Investigation Branch the compliance of directors of  (a) Move (Newcastle-under-Lyme) Limited,  (b) W. J. Leisure (Newcastle-under-Lyme) Limited,  (c) Venue Master One Limited (trading as The Albion),  (d) Pubscene Limited,  (e) Prohibition PC Limited,  (f) Move One Limited,  (g) W. J. Leisure (Hanley) Limited,  (h) Move (Hanley) Limited,  (i) M One (Newcastle-under-Lyme) Limited,  (j) M One (Hanley) Limited and  (k) Hove One Limited in respect of the law governing the filing of (i) accounts and (ii) other statutory returns within the relevant time limits.

Patrick McFadden: Yes. I have advised both Companies Investigation Branch and the Registrar of Companies.

Companies Investigation Branch

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will ask his Department's Companies Investigation Branch to assess whether the law governing preferential treatment of creditors was complied with prior to the liquidation of  (a) Move (Newcastle-under-Lyme) Limited,  (b) W. J. Leisure (Newcastle-under-Lyme) limited,  (c) Venue Master One Limited (trading as The Albion),  (d) Pubscene Limited,  (e) Move One Limited,  (f) Prohibition PC Limited,  (g) W. J. Leisure (Hanley) Limited and  (h) Move (Hanley) Limited in respect of amounts due to (i) the owners of freehold property used by the companies, (ii) suppliers of drinks to licensed premises operated by the companies and (iii) banks.

Patrick McFadden: I have drawn your concerns about these companies to officials in Companies Investigations Branch (CIB), to whom any further information should be passed.

Debts: Mentally Ill

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Ministerial Group on Over-Indebtedness  (a) has undertaken and  (b) plans to undertake work on people with mental health problems who face financial difficulties; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Ministerial Group on Over-indebtedness was pleased to note in its Tackling Over-indebtedness Annual Report 2007 that:
	(i) the Money Advice Liaison Group had agreed its best practice guidelines on debt management in relation to people with mental health problems and
	(ii) the Finance and Leasing Association had introduced specific provisions in its Lending Code to ensure customers with long term health difficulties received appropriate assistance.
	Since then, the British Bankers' Association have issued their new Banking Code that promises to consider all cases of financial difficulty sympathetically and positively.
	The Government expect industry to observe these provisions.
	In addition, reforms to the consumer credit licensing regime, introduced by the Consumer Credit Act 2006, have given the Office of Fair Trading stronger powers to investigate and take action against rogue traders who lend irresponsibly.
	Furthermore, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which come into force on 26 May, provide additional protection for vulnerable consumers. Under these regulations, a commercial practice, such as aggressive or misleading sales techniques, may be found unlawful where it is likely to only adversely affect a clearly identifiable group of vulnerable consumers in a way which a trader can reasonably foresee, by virtue of mental or physical infirmity, age or credulity.

Defence Export Services Organisation: Finance

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the operating budget of the Defence Export Services Organisation was in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07.

Gareth Thomas: The net operating costs of the Defence Export Services Organisation in the financial year 2004-05 was 16.922 million. For financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 196W to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone).

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether any officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies were disciplined or dismissed for (i) breaches of data protection requirements and (ii) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The Department collects data on officials who are either disciplined or dismissed relating to breaches of data protection requirements and also for inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data. The Department is unable to provide any data as in doing so we would identify individuals involved. In identifying an individual or individuals the Department would be open to claims of breach of the Data Protection Act.

Departmental Public Participation

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent on  (a) written consultations,  (b) consultation roadshows and  (c) stakeholder focus groups in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: We estimate that the production costs of the written consultations carried out by the Department in the last three years were as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005 67,000 
			 2006 71,000 
			 2007 51,000 
		
	
	To calculate or estimate the cost of consultation roadshows and stakeholder focus groups could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Security

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will list the  (a) special advisers and  (b) ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department's predecessors main building in the month prior to the prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election.

Gareth Thomas: Special advisers based in the DTI, prior to the 2005 general elections were:
	Jim Godfrey (surrendered pass on 19 April, 2005)
	Roger Sharpe (surrendered pass on 19 April, 2005)
	Liz Kendall (surrendered pass on 7 April, 2005).
	On the announcement of the general election in 2005, the above were asked to surrender their passes.
	DTI Ministers were not obliged to carry security passes.

Estate Agents

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  when he plans to implement the requirement that estate agents join an Office of Fair Tradingapproved complaints scheme under the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007;
	(2)  how many representations he has received  (a) for and  (b) against retaining the statutory estate agent contractual terms (i) ready willing and able and (ii) sole selling rights.

Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State can only make an order requiring estate agents to belong to an approved redress scheme once the Office of Fair Trading has approved at least one scheme open to all estate agents. Subject to the OFT approving a scheme, I expect to commence an order requiring redress scheme membership on 1 October 2008.
	The Estate Agents (Provision of Information) Regulations 1991 include statutory definitions for specified contract terms that deal with who can sell a property and in what circumstances commission is payable to an estate agent. The recent estate agents consultation sought views on alternative versions of the statutory definitions. The bulk of the respondents to the consultation restricted their comments to amending the statutory definitions, but two of them expressed views against retaining the terms 'sole selling rights' and 'ready, willing and able purchaser'. One respondent called for 'sole selling rights' to be removed, whereas the other called for both terms to be prohibited. We are currently reviewing the responses.

Financial Reporting Council: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what financial contribution his Department makes to the operations of the Financial Reporting Council.

Gareth Thomas: For the 2008-09 financial year, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform expects to contribute 3.467 million to the core operating costs of the Financial Reporting Council. With regard to future funding of the Financial Reporting Council by the Department, I refer the Member for Great Grimsby to my written statement of 6 February 2008,  Official Report, column 66WS.

Imports: Cotton

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to prevent imports of  (a) cotton and  (b) clothing which have been produced by child labour in Uzbekistan.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 7 May 2008
	The UK remains concerned, about allegations of the use of child labour in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan. The UK has raised its concerns through the EU and has discussed the issue with the Uzbek government. The EU welcomed Uzbekistan's signing of the International Labour Organisation Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour earlier this year and has urged Uzbekistan to implement effectively its international obligations in this regard.
	The UK Government continue to call on businesses to look at their supply chains and take appropriate action if they find evidence that goods has been produced using child labour.
	There is no legal requirement for goods to bear marks indicating its origin. As such, it would be difficult for the Government to establish a blanket ban on imports of Uzbek cotton and clothing. Similarly, products manufactured using Uzbek cotton in a third country would legitimately bear the country of manufacture as the country of origin.

Imports: Seals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the introduction of an EU-wide ban on the importation of seal products.

Gareth Thomas: I, together with my hon. Friend Dr. Howells, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the noble Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Fanning and Animal Health at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), jointly wrote on 13 March 2008 to Commissioner Dimas, DG Environment at the European Commission as well as to all EU member state Trade and Agricultural Ministers reiterating the UK's request for an EU-wide ban on the importation of sealskin products.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the holding Answer given to Question 193546, tabled on 7 March 2008, on ministerial correspondence, when he will provide a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 29 January.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 31 March 2008
	I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding, this was due to an administrative error. A response was sent to you on 31 March 2008.

Money Lenders

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will put in place mechanisms to protect people with mental health problems from the activities of doorstep lenders and private finance companies.

Gareth Thomas: The Government have no plans to introduce specific protections in this area. However, recent reforms have strengthened protections for vulnerable consumers.
	From April 2008, reforms to the consumer credit licensing regime introduced by the Consumer Credit Act 2007 have given the OFT stronger powers to investigate and take action against rogue traders who lend irresponsibly. OFT will take a risk-based approach to enforcement, focusing its activities on those sectors where the risk of consumer detriment is highest. It has indicated that the home credit sector will be among those most carefully monitored. OFT will bring forward guidance this year for lenders about activities which may constitute irresponsible lending.
	Furthermore, the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, which come into force on 26 May, provide additional protection for vulnerable consumers. Under these regulations, a commercial practice, such as aggressive or misleading sales techniques, may be found unlawful where it is likely to only adversely affect a clearly identifiable group of vulnerable consumers in a way which a trader can reasonably foresee, by virtue of mental or physical infirmity, age or credulity.
	The consumer credit directive, which will be transposed into UK law by 2010, will provide further consumer protections through the introduction of a general right of withdrawal from credit agreements within scope, giving consumers a 14 day cooling-off period after signing their agreement. The Government will also bring forward regulations extending cancellation rights to contracts for goods and services purchased on the doorstep following a solicited visit by a trader. Consultation on draft regulations closed last month.
	The Government would expect all lenders to observe the Money Advice Liaison Group's best practice guidelines on debt management in relation to people with mental health problems.

Post Office: Reorganisation

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent representations he has received on the Post Office's London Area Network Change Programme.

Patrick McFadden: My right hon. Friend has received various correspondence from MPs and members of the public concerning POL's Network Change Programme, including on the London Area Plan. These have been in the form of parliamentary questions, Ministers cases and petitions.

Press

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost of the press offices of  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies were for each year since 1996-97; what the cost was in each quarter since 1 April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Cost of Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform press office 
			   000 
			 2003-04 n/a 
			 2004-05 1,074 
			 2005-06 1,106 
			 2006-07 967 
		
	
	The DTI was reorganised in July 2007. Figures for BERR 2007-08 will not be available until after the accounts are audited.
	Figures are not available for the DTI prior to 2004-05 as that year saw the introduction of a new accounting system and the accounts for previous years were not transferred.
	
		
			  Cost of UK Trade and Industry press office 
			   000 
			 2003-04 n/a 
			 2004-05 153 
			 2005-06 143 
			 2006-07 136 
		
	
	UKTI was formed in October 2003. They do not hold financial information for
	predecessor organisations.
	Financial information for UKTI's press office is provided from April 2004. There is no singularly identifiable cost centre for the press office prior to this date as costs were shared across various teams in the marketing department.
	Total pay costs represent the costs of staff in postcomprising salary, overtime, NI and superannuation.
	
		
			  Cost of BERR NDPB press offices 
			  000 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 ACAS(1) 50.9 52.5 54.1 55.8 57.5 59.3 61.2 63.1 65 67.1 
			 Atomic Energy Authority(2) 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
			 Civil Nuclear Police Authority(3) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 103 123 
			 Coal Authority(4) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Competition Commission 68.6 28.3 25.7 45.2 48.8 47.6 58.9 138.5 162.8 137.4 
			 Competition Service(5) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Energy Watch(6) n/a n/a n/a n/a 180 198 204 208 151 148 
			 Hearing Aid Council(7) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 National Consumer Council 77.5 52.5 82.9 96.4 98.3 76.2 84.3 88.5 90.9 94.1 
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority(8) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 PostWatch(9) n/a n/a n/a n/a 550 519 488 265 365 386 
			 SITPRO Ltd.(10) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 (1) ACAS do not hold the broken down figures from 1996-97 to 2005-06 but has estimated these costs. (2) The UK Atomic Energy Authority does not employ dedicated press officers. Five members of staff in the UKAEA have media relations as part, but not all, of their duties. The UKAEA have estimated the staff costs and overheads per annum based on a FTE equivalent of two full time employees, based an estimate of the proportion of UKAEA communications team members' time available to cover press officer functions. (3) The Civil Nuclear Constabulary was set up as a separate entity in 2005. (4 )The Coal Authority does not have a press office. (5) The Competition Service does not have a press office. (6) Energy Watch, were set up in 2001. Their costs refer only to staff salaries. (7) The Hearing Aid Council does not have a press office. (8) The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority does not have a press office. Three Communications Managers are employed to undertake a variety of activities of which handling media inquiries is one element. A Head of Communications and Communications Director may also handle media inquiries. (9)( )PostWatch was set up in 2001. (10) SITPRO Ltd. does not have a dedicated press office. 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 have not been included as this information has not yet been audited.
	The following table details the cost of maintaining a press office function in each RDA. The press offices sit within a larger general marketing function, therefore the relevant costs of maintaining the press office function (staff salaries plus on costs) are shown. However, it is not possible to draw a direct correlation between the cost of the press office and the number of FTE staff because in many cases RDA staff fulfil other responsibilities in addition to press office duties.
	Figures for 2007-08 have not been included as this information has not yet been audited.
	
		
			  Cost of RDA press offices 
			  000 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 AWM(1)  22,000 25,483 86,635 112,776 139,601 154,886 158,293 
			 EEDA(2) 4,637 25,468 16,576 25,047 29,710 46,562 92,985 97,643 
			 EMDA(3)45,000 48,295 55,803 55,811 52,462 
			 LDA(4)118,817 137,580 213,188 287,882 207,863 
			 NWDA(5)  37,195 87,370 107,558 128,473 186,063 171,444 194,795 
			 ONE(6) 106,305 111,900 117,790 135,103 175,242 92,478 153,208 195,380 
			 SEEDA(7)  13,827 43,203 57,396 L98,557 149,572 191,185 154,046 
			 SWRDA(8)   93,159 110,662 156,970 170,797 205,537 283,839 
			 YF(9)   51,525 53,692 71,902 88,547 100,907 110,088 
			 (1) AWM press office costs for 1999-2000 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost. (2) In 1999-2000 the EEDA press office function was only carried out for the fourth quarter of the financial year. In 2001-02 the press office function was carried out by one FTE member of staff, but was vacant during quarter two of the financial year, reflected by lower costs for that year. (3) EMDA press office costs for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost. Recent changes in the EMDA payroll system mean that it is not possible to calculate on costs such as national insurance and pension contributions for historic salary records, therefore the figures provided relate to pure salary costs only. (4) LDA press office costs for 2000-01 and 2001-02 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost (5) NWDA press office costs for 1999-2000 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost. In 2000-01 the press office function was not carried out for the entire final year, reflected by reduced costs for that year. (6) At ONE North East, the press office also carries out public relations functions on behalf of the agency, which accounts for the higher than average, costs in the first four years listed. (7) SEEDA press office costs for 1999-2000 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost. (8) SWRDA press office costs for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost. (9) YF press office costs for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 (ie staff salary and on-costs) are archived and are available only at disproportionate cost.

Renewable Energy

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what mechanisms are in place to monitor the take-up of renewable energy by  (a) domestic,  (b) commercial and  (c) public sector energy consumers; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 May 2008
	Tables 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 of the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2007 provides final consumption data by sector for renewables and waste and also data for renewables and wastes used for electricity generation in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. Corresponding tables for earlier years are also available on the BERR energy statistics website at:
	www.stats.berr.gov.uk/energystats/dukes7_1-7_3.xls
	The data in chapter 7 of DUKES is sourced from an ongoing study by AEA Energy and Environment on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to update a database containing information on all relevant renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom. This database is called RESTATSthe Renewable Energy STATisticS database at:
	www.restats.org.uk
	A copy of this document is available in the Libraries of the House.

Resolving Disputes in the Workplace

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many written representations were received in the Resolving Disputes in the Workplace consultation; and if he will place copies of them in the Library.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 22 May 2008
	The Department received 443 written representations to the consultation. The Government response to the consultation which was published on 19 May 2008 summarises the range of representations received. Copies of the formal Government response are being placed in the Libraries of the House.

Utilities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment his Department has made of the  (a) accountability and  (b) effectiveness of regulators of utilities.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government recently responded to the report on UK economic regulators by the House of Lords Committee on Regulators (November 2007, HL 189-II) which among other issues covered the accountability of regulators to Parliament as well as their accountability through the Competition Commission, impact assessments and consumer representation. In its response (February 2008, URN 08/648), the Government stated that:
	Regulators should be encouraged to think about whether they can be more proactive in using competition law, including market investigation references to the Competition Commission;
	Impact assessments provide transparency and as such should be an integral part of the policy-making process;
	The new National Consumer Council, to be established from 1 October 2008, will enhance consumer representation by being a more powerful consumer advocate.
	With regard to effectiveness, Government maintain an active interest in looking at the regulatory regime as a whole, and has tasked the Better Regulation Executive with this role. However, as bodies independent from government, regulators assess their effectiveness through their own corporate governance structures. Further assessment beyond this is primarily a matter for Parliament.